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A series of US and Israeli strikes has reportedly eliminated or harmed at least eleven Iranian naval vessels starting the weekend, new orbital imagery demonstrate, with launch facilities and enrichment plants also coming under fire.

Photographs of the southern Konarak naval naval base and the Bandar Abbas installation, which is located on the strategic Hormuz Strait and contains the headquarters of the Iranian navy, reveal black smoke pouring from several warships on Monday and Tuesday.

Naval Forces Sustained Major Damage

Included in the targets eliminated was the IRINS Makran, Iran's biggest warship which had been used as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Orbital photos indicated thick smoke emanating from the ship which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas naval base.

Analytical evaluations state that at least a quintet of warships at the port were "damaged or eliminated". Pictures of the southern part of the port show smoke emanating from the Makran, while two other ships are visibly impacted, with one of them clearly on fire.

Over at the Konarak base, images show several damaged vessels, with analysis pointing to impacts on six vessels. Images from the start of the week also show that multiple buildings at the installation have been destroyed.

"For a long time the Iran's leadership has threatened commercial vessels," the head of US Central Command declared. "Today, there is no Iranian vessel operational in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman, and we will not stop."

Some vessels allegedly sunk may have been hidden in satellite images by cloud or smoke, or hit in open waters, and have not been independently verified. Additional information suggested that an Iranian vessel was sinking near Sri Lanka's waters, leading to a rescue operation.

Missile Sites and Atomic Facilities Attacked

Eliminating Iran's rocket sites and the prevention of nuclear weapons development were stated as other aims of the military strikes. Satellite images also revealed damage at the southerly Khorgu base and northwestern Tabriz missile bases, and at the Konarak air air base, where weapons bunkers and fortifications were hit.

Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone base to the west of the city of Kermanshah, extensive damage was identified to sheds, underground facilities and drone launch equipment.

Damage was also observed at a radar installation at the Zahedan airbase in eastern parts of the country, near the border with neighboring nations.

Perhaps most notably, the new round of strikes have reportedly targeted facilities at Natanz – considered at the core of the country's enrichment efforts. An international watchdog said that the affected structures were used for entry to the facility's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no nuclear fallout" was expected.

Wider Impact and Analysis

Defense experts indicated that the offensive appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iran's naval capability to carry out standard operations using its biggest vessels. However, it was emphasised that Tehran still has the ability to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, midget subs and its so-called "shadow fleet" of tankers.

The overall scale of the damage caused to Iran's defense infrastructure remains unclear, with attacks reportedly persisting. Pictures also indicates extensive destruction to the headquarters of the the IRGC in the city of Tehran.

A significant number of non-military structures also are reported to have been damaged in the capital and throughout the country since the hostilities began. Casualty figures from ground sources indicate that hundreds of non-combatants may have been killed in the bombardment.

As the situation develops, analysis of aerial photographs will continue to assess the evolving battlefield picture.